Today I will be reviewing a subscription box much different than any I have reviewed before. Introducing....Black Box Subscriptions! This is a gothic themed box that is shipped once a month for $20, or $40 for the deluxe coffin shaped box. I'm poor so I am receiving the standard. This subscription service is owned by Vixx Secundus who not only owns and operates this service but is also in a band called Axis! I first found out about this subscription service from randomly browsing Youtube unboxing videos. I watched a few and instantly fell in love and subscribed the very next day. The current months box ships out late in the month usually between the 20th and the 30th so you generally only get it during the month after being billed. I think this is a bit strange but as long as I get a box every time I pay $20, I can't really complain!
According to the website this is what every standard box contains
Black Nail Polish
1 piece of makeup
1-2 accessories
2 pieces of jewelry
Goodies-pencils, stickers, candy
Mystery gift
And here is my box! As you can see you get a wide variety of goodies including jewelry, makeup, candy (which I accidentally ate before taking these pictures), bath and body products, and random goodies. The variety this box offered is a major reason as to why I subscribed. I'm kind of tired of getting only makeup so I think this box is a great way for me to get more than makeup in style that I love! Before receiving your box Vixx will send you a survey that you fill out explaining what you like so she can make the box match your personal tastes a much as possible. As a result these boxes are often vastly different for every person, which was another selling point for me.
Let's take a closer look at what I received!!
Wet n Wild Nail Polish in Black Creme
A black nail polish is included in every single box as a kind of staple. I was happy to get this as my only other black nail polish is pretty crappy. I know Wet n Wild is just a drug store brand but in my experience they have some amazing products despite the low price tag. However because I use Jamberry more than nail polish now I can see these accumulating very quickly.
Obviously the first thing I did was paint my nails with it. Then I stupidly realized I hadn't put my rats away so I had to do that with semi wet nails, so that's why they seem a bit scratched up. Oops!
Where to buy: drugstores, Amazon, Walmart
Price: $1
Color Mates Lipstick in Black Orchid with Clear Lip Liner
I also received a lipstick and lipliner combo in a really pretty deep red shade. I have never heard of Color Mates before but judging by the packaging quality and overall feel of the lipstick this is more than likely a drugstore brand. Even if it is cheap I can't deny getting a lip liner and lipstick in one go is a pretty awesome deal! Additionally I didn't sign up for this subscription box for the makeup, as I already have a ton, I signed up for the accessories, so getting cheap makeup products doesn't bother me if the rest of the value is going towards the other items.
As you can see it really is a lovely deep red. This is a very nice color for fall and I'll definitely be wearing it. As far as the wear goes, it is very creamy and seems as though it would be moisturizing however from my experience the creamier the lipstick the lower the wear time. I haven't had a chance to wear this out yet but hopefully it performs well.
Where to buy: Amazon, Dollartree
Price: $1
Gold Moon Hair Accessory
I received one accessory this month and it was a gold moon hair clip. This thing is seriously so freaking adorable but unfortunately I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it. First of all its gold and I really don't like gold jewelry in any form because it clashes with my skin tone. Also the clip is just a metal snap in kind of thing which means it slides right out of my short hair.
Here it is in my hair but I definitely will not be able to wear it as such. I'm either thinking of turning it into a necklace and giving it as a gift to someone who can wear gold jewelry or trying to find a way to fasten it to my bookbag because I do think it would look really nice contrasting with my dark purple bag.
However I decide to use it I'm glad I got this because it will either become a decoration or a Christmas gift!
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $1
Bronze Cameo Black Velvet Choker
My first piece of jewelry is this elegant black velvet choker featuring a bronze framed cameo. I asked for a black velvet choker in my survey but once again this is unfortunately not silver. however I feel like I could pull this off a bit better than the bright gold hair clip as it is an antiqued bronze kind of metal and is a bit more muted.
Here is a close up of the cameo. The design and detail is so spot on and I love literally everything about it except the bronze.
Here it is on. Maybe its because I'm not used to chokers but I was unable to get this clipped tight enough on my first try. Maybe with some practice I'll get better. I can't wait to wear this out!
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $2.50
Silver Moon Necklace
My second piece of jewelry is this amazingly perfect silver rhinestone moon necklace. This is without a doubt my favorite thing from the box this month. It is dainty and cute and sparkly...and just everything I love. I put on my survey that I love anything to do with nature, especially the moon so she definitely fulfilled my moon request! It is a bummer I can't wear the hair clip because these two pieces would work really well together.
Here is the necklace on. I will probably have to adjust the length as it is a bit too long for me. I tend to prefer my necklaces to sit just below my collar bone as I made it do here. I honestly don't mind having to make small alterations to jewelry as I already do it to most of the things I buy. I'm fairly picky about length and clasps so I can't expect everything to be perfectly tailored for me.
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $1.50
Orange Halloween Fortune Cookie
Oops....so I accidentally devoured the fortune cookie before taking pictures for this review. If you want to see it, it is in the unboxing video I'll post below. I love fortune cookies so for me this was a really awesome treat! Pictured here is the fortune that was inside!
Where to buy: ?
Price: I'd guess about $1
Random Halloween Goodies
The random goodies I received included 4 Halloween stickers, a cute ghosty notepad, and a spooky skull pencil. I will probably be giving the notepad and stickers to my boyfriends sister as a Halloween present but the pencil is definitely mine. I love pencils.
Where to buy: ?
Price: Maybe $1.50 for all three?
Rose and Lavender Bath Salt
My mystery item this month is a bath salt! This item was actually made by Vixx herself. I had to ask on Facebook to actually obtain this information however, I definitely wish she had a little sticker or card with some info so I could have known without asking what this was. Anyway I asked on Facebook about this item and her reply was as follows: "They are Rose & Lavender scented bath salts made with Epsom and Sea Salts with rose petals."
Awesome! I happen to love the rose and lavender combo so I can't wait to use these next time I take a relaxing bath! :)
Where to buy: ?
Price: $2-3 perhaps?
While I was a bit bummed by the bronze and gold pieces I really liked everything else that I received, especially the silver moon necklace. By doing some quick Google searching it seems she gets a lot of her inventory from Aliexpress. I personally don't have a problem with this as I have made purchases from Wish.com, a similar kind of store. Also all my jewelry items feel sturdy and of high quality, so even if the price is low as long as the items seem like they will last I am happy. Because I always do a box total tally with all my subscription boxes, this one comes out to an estimated $10-13 not including the cost to ship the items or the final box. Generally the value of each individual item totals up to more than the subscription box price, but the more mainstream boxes are getting the items at a very cheap price, while I doubt Vixx, running the small business that she is, has that same luxury. I really don't mind paying a little more for these items as they are being hand selected for me, and the element of surprise is also really fun.
Therefore I will probably keep subscribing to this box for a few more months to see what else I may receive.
I wish that there was a way to change my survey because I definitely want to emphasize that I do not want any gold jewelry at all. Also I wish it came with a card like most subscription boxes that described each item that was being received, especially for the handmade items. Then I wouldn't have to guess whether this is bath powder or some other product, and if I love it I'd know where to get more.
What do you think of Black Box?
Get yours at Blackboxsubscriptions.com
Also, check out my unboxing video!
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